


bloom

by jiyangist



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Chicago (City), Coming of Age, Crushes, Flowers, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Inspired by Bloom - Troye Sivan, M/M, Slow Burn, Some angst, Summer Love, Teenage Awkwardness, side yutae, very soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 07:03:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18823555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiyangist/pseuds/jiyangist
Summary: Summer love isn't as easy as people make it out to be. Ten knows this firsthand. This is the last summer for Ten to make it count. To make Johnny understand how he feels, one flower at a time.





	1. School's Out - Alice Cooper

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This will be my first official, well thought out Johnten fic! A few things to note before reading, this is inspired by the song Bloom by Troye Sivan, and the plot will be heavily based on that. I also made a playlist of songs for this fic: https://itunes.apple.com/us/playlist/johnten/pl.u-2aoqXW6UqGKVK9 it's not mandatory to listen to them while reading, but it definitely improves the reading experience!  
> Another important thing to note: every flower that Ten gives Johnny means something, so look up the flower meanings if you don't know ;)  
> I hope you all enjoy this during our Johnten drought! :')

The rushing footsteps of students and a firm hand on his shoulder shakes Ten out of his unintentional slumber. The familiar obnoxious ring of the school bell quickly wakes him up, followed by his post puberty stricken best friend’s voice.  
“Ten, come on. You slept through seventh hour. It’s summatime now, homie!” Before the sleepy boy can even manage to finish gathering his things into his backpack, he’s practically being dragged out of the room and through the hallways of his high school.   
“God, Johnny! I know you’re excited but I’d prefer to go into summer with BOTH my arms, thank you very much.” The boy attempted to pull back on his grip a bit, but alas, it only made Johnny run faster. He passed by a couple of his other friends, attempting to yell a ‘Have a good summer!’ as the latter rushed him through the hallways.  
They both burst through the front doors, the warm spring breeze blowing through their hair as they ran for Johnny’s hand me down 1980 cherry red Chevy. They both manage to pile into the car, before they quickly drive off, blasting Alice Cooper’s ‘School’s Out’ through the car speakers.   
A couple more miles down the road and Ten reaches over to lower the music a bit.  
“Johnny where are we even going?”   
“Not really sure. Do you trust me?” He glanced quickly at the boy in the passenger with a soft smirk.  
“Of course I do.. You know I do. It’s just… well…” His voice trailed off a bit, leaving only the sounds of the deep buzzing of the old car.   
“Ten. I know you have to get back home and water your flowers. Don’t worry.” Ten breathes a sigh of understanding and giggles a little before pulling his legs up on the seat.   
“Just a little road trip, Tennie.” He reached over to ruffle said boys hair, earning him a smack and a groan from the passenger.   
“Johhhnnn… stop it!” They both broke into soft laughter, before allowing the soft rock streaming through the radio to take over, and the wind to blow through their hair. 

~

After a couple hours of driving around various neighboring towns of Chicago, stopping at cute shops and run down gas stations, they made it back to Ten’s house. He reluctantly gathered his things, put back on his vans, and finally Johnny parks his car in the short driveway of Ten’s small house. A sigh escapes the Chicago native’s lips, before leaning his head on the headrest and turning to his best friend.  
“Well, it’s been great knowing you, Ten Chittaphon... I can’t pronounce your last name porn kun.” This earns a snort from him and a hard slap to his bicep.  
“John Suh, you’re such an ass.. And stop making it seem like i’m dying every time you drop me off at my house.” Johnny only laughs and watches Ten flip him off while walking to the front door.   
Ten drops his backpack off at the front door, greets his mom cheerfully, and quickly rushes to his new garden in his backyard.   
He had always been interested in flowers, and thought they were delicate and pretty, so this spring he decided to grow a flower garden of his own. He wanted to be responsible for something, and have something to be extra proud of. Johnny, of course, saw his interest in flowers early on, and bought him a book called “Flowers and Their Meanings: A Beginner’s Guide to Flowers”, for his birthday. Needless to say he cried a little, Johnny was always so observant of Ten, his feelings, and his interests. Ten thinks that’s why he fell in love with him. But truly, he always thought to himself, “What do I know about love? I’m just a kid.” All he knew was that he felt various insects flying in the deepest parts of his stomach when Johnny did anything even remotely affectionate towards him. However, he wasn’t really sure when it started.   
Ten always felt like Johnny was different. Not only as a person, but how he acted around Ten. He was kind, caring, and protective of him, with the exception of Johnny’s constant teasing. Everything Johnny was, he loved. Every stupid joke, every compliment, every hard time, him and his best friend had made it through, together. Johnny was so unique. He wasn’t like the other boys and friends he had had. He never judged Ten, not once. He recognized Ten, his talent, and his heart. Ten thinks that’s why he fell in love with John Suh.  
The Thai boy hadn’t even noticed he had already overwatered his plants... his mind is always too occupied with thoughts of his stupid crush; now that it was summer, it always got 10 times worse. That’s why he recently applied for, and successfully gained a job at a small flower shop on the outskirts of downtown Chicago, partially for money, partially to keep him occupied, and partially to learn more about the thing that most interested him.   
He also wanted to start doing something special for Johnny, in a roundabout way. Starting that week, he brought him various flowers. The first week, it was a single cluster of Bouvardia Double. Johnny happily accepted with a wide grin, and a ruffle to Ten’s hair. He felt something warm travel through his chest when the older boy did that. When he did anything for that matter. The little things John Suh did absolutely ruined Ten. But of course, he wouldn’t admit it.  
This was...not so much their beginning. But the start of something new.


	2. Starlight - Muse

The boys had become accustomed to a summer schedule, of sorts. They both had jobs, Johnny picking vegetables for a local farmer, and Ten with his flower shop. Their jobs had a very similar morning schedule, which always led to Johnny offering to pick Ten up, go for a little road trip, and then go back to Ten’s house.   
Today hadn’t been much different. At least, not yet.   
Ten was sweeping up the floor of the shop; he had just finished cutting a group of Anemones. For Johnny, of course. He heard the familiar honk of his best friend’s old chevy, and smiled as he turned to see him parked directly in front of the shop. The older boy grinned widely and waved a bit before mouthing something along the lines of, ‘No rush.’   
He called to the manager, Kun, that he was clocking out for the night, hastily grabbed his bag and his Anemones, and practically tripped through the front door. With a spring in his step, he entered the car and closed the door before turning to Johnny with a wide smirk.  
“Somebody’s extra happy today!” Ten just giggled at this, and held out the flowers of the week. Johnny gasped and with a look of being flattered, he accepted the flowers, and pulled Ten in for a hug, however awkward the angle was.  
“Tennie! These are so pretty... just like you.” Johnny replied sarcastically. The latter could only snort, attempt to calm his rising heartbeat, and reply,   
“Just drive, John Suh. I wanna be extra adventurous today, if that’s okay with you?” A mischievous grin plastered both of their faces. Johnny started driving, putting his flowers in the cupholder of the middle console. Surprisingly enough, he kept his car fairly clean, so he had room for it there. Occasionally there would be an empty can of Monster, but he had learned to clean them up before Ten got in, because he would always scold Johnny about drinking them. ‘Johnny Suh!’ Whack. ‘You know better! These are terrible for you!’ He always knew it was out of care and love that the younger scolded him.  
“I think I know exactly what you mean…”   
“Oh god, Johnny please don’t do the thing.” Ten sighed before covering his ears slightly.  
“It’s… AAAAADVENTURE TIME!” the said boy screamed while flooring the accelerator, all the windows down, with the sound of Bob Seger streaming through the radio speakers. 

~ 

They ended up driving for a couple hours, seemingly aimlessly, until Johnny parked somewhere… or nowhere at all. They were clearly in the middle of nowhere. Ten only let out a timid sigh, and exited the car following Johnny.   
“Johnny… you know I trust you… but where in god’s name are we?” He scanned the surroundings, it was a field, of some sort. Grass and trees were all that surrounded them, the only color for miles was green.   
“God have a little faith in your best friend… come on.” He grabbed Ten by the hand, which said boy quickly retreated from, earning him an odd look from the older boy. They walked for a few minutes through the thick forest, before Johnny glanced back at his friend, and nodded forward. The trees cleared to reveal a small spring, surrounded by tall trees, and a wall of rock around it. He looked slightly to the left where a river flowed into the pond. His face lit up with a huge smile, and began to laugh, revealing his whiskers when he smiles hard.  
“Well? Was it worth it to trust your lovely best friend?” Johnny mirrored his smile and watched Ten intently as he struggled to find the words. He turned his attention to the trees overhead, where the sun was streaming through them in an almost movie-like way. He sighed and closed his eyes for a few seconds, just soaking up the sun. Almost like a flower photosynthesising. He finally opened his eyes and turned to Johnny, who caught himself staring tenderly at the boy next to him.   
“Johnny I… this is so beautiful. How the hell did you even find this?” He released a small chuckle before replying,  
“Taeil and I discovered this last summer when you were in Thailand. Still mad at you for leaving me for the entire summer by the way… Anyways, we drove and drove for miles and ended up stumbling upon this little magical place. Accidental findings are my favorite.” He smirked again, and as soon as he finished the sentence, he was running down the small hill, stripping off his shirt as he ran for the pond. Ten felt his face heating up… the sun is pretty hot, right? Yeah, that must be it.   
“Tennie~ come on!” He could only smile, and follow his best friend down the hill, watching his tan back run and jump straight in the middle of the pond. He stripped off his shirt and Vans, and lifted his head to see Johnny’s black hair emerging from the water. Ten thought he looked extra attractive with wet hair, but nobody really asked him. He only kicked off his shoes and leaped directly for Johnny. He managed not to land on him, but a couple feet away. The water was fairly cold, but it felt nice on the heat that was spreading from his face to his entire body.   
Johnny waited for him to emerge, and the mess of black hair finally came to the surface in front of him, ran a small hand through his hair with a fit of giggles following. He couldn’t help the fond smile that covered his face when Ten giggled, or did anything, for that matter.  
“Having fun?” Johnny asked and splashed Ten’s face with water. The boy gasped and with a death glare, challenged,   
“Oh, you are SO on, dumbass.”  
“In your dreams, midget.” That was the final straw for Ten, crush be damned, he launched himself at the latter, pulling his entire head under the water, and Johnny would be lying if he said it didn’t surprise him.   
They chased each other around for what seemed like hours, the sounds of splashing water and fits of laughter were all that could be heard. After all the commotion had died down, the sun was beginning to set, and they sat on the bank of the pond together. The silence was comfortable, and Ten laid on his back, watching the sky changing to a watercolor sky, filled with oranges, yellows, and purples, it almost him nostalgic.  
“Hey, you okay?” The deep voice next to him pulled him from his thoughts. A pause.  
“Yeah. Just thinking.” Silence filled the area around them, only insects and various frogs making noise. Johnny finally laid down next to Ten and their arms brushed slightly, which made both of their skin break out into goosebumps.   
“Tennie. I’m your best friend, my Spidey Senses start tingling when you aren’t okay.” Silence again, followed by a sigh from the Thai boy. Johnny turned his head to him, where Ten looked on the verge of tears. He lifted himself up on one elbow and continued.  
“Listen. You can talk to me, okay? Anything at all… I just want to help.” The latter covered his face a bit before Johnny grabbed at his hands to pull them away.  
“I don’t even know, John. I think it’s just…” He had to come up with something besides what was really bothering him. At least, something bothering him less than the boy next to him.  
“It just hit me that we’re technically seniors now. Next spring we’ll graduate-” sniff. “And I don’t want to leave you… I don’t want you to leave me. You have so many talents, Johnny. God, you-” cough. “You’re tall, strong, gorgeous, your photography slaps, you can act, your sense of humor is the best and I… You have so many options in life, and what do I have?” He was crying harder now, and Johnny could only run a big hand through the boys hair in an attempt to calm him down.  
“Ten Chittaphon! Do not say that ever. You are like. The coolest person I've ever met, and i’m not just saying that. You’re small, adorable, hilarious, rebellious, you can dance, sing, and make any outfit look amazing. You bring me flowers, know everything there is to know about them, and teach me about them!” Ten was a little calmer now, only watching Johnny intently, savoring the feeling of his hands brushing through his scalp.  
“I know… I know it’s scary, adulthood. But I swear to god I won’t ever leave you. How could I leave my ride or die, my best friend? I’m here for the long run, Tennie.” He reached out to grab Ten’s hand, and pulled him up and into a bone crushing hug. The sun had set almost completely now, the stars above them starting to make their presence known. Ten clutched onto the latter’s bare back, stuffed his face into his shoulder, and breathed in the scent he longed to constantly smell. Again, he felt the strong hands pull through his hair, the other hand patting and rubbing his back. Ten was the one that pulled back, no matter how long they both wanted to stay in that position.   
“It’s getting late, let’s get you back home, don’t want the wrath of your mom to come down on me again…” They both laughed a bit, put back on their clothes, (They totally didn’t sneak glances of each other changing what do you mean…) and walked back to the car. 

~ 

The next time Ten gave Johnny flowers, he chose a bundle of Hydrangeas. Johnny wasn’t sure if Ten knew he knew the meaning of the flowers he gave him, but he always happily accepted with a swelling heart. He knew how big and full of love Ten’s heart was, he was one of the only ones that recognized it, for that matter. He was eternally grateful to Ten, he just… wasn’t the greatest at expressing it. Johnny knew he needed to work on it… and he would, for Ten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask about it in my tellonym: tellonym.me/gracieuwu and follow me on twt: @/emoforjohnny <3


	3. You Are My Sunshine - Jimmie Davis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a couple songs to listen to during this one, they are marked! Hope you enjoy <3

A few weeks later, a familiar but non expected face greeted Johnny while he was working. He wasn’t sure who he expected to see, but it was NOT Jung Jaehyun. Across the field of potatoes, he saw the boy with dirty blonde hair by the headland, waving cheerfully to Johnny. He adjusted his cutoff, took his gloves off, and jogged over to meet the said boy.   
“Jung. Fucking. Jaehyun. What the hell are you doing here, dude?” He smiled widely and pulled said boy in for a hug.   
“Okay first of all, you are sweaty and disgusting, second of all, do you know how hard it is to find you? I had to get Doyoung to contact Ten, to find out where the hell you were! And you know they get on each other’s nerves.” He hit Johnny on the chest, with no heat of course. Johnny hissed at the mention of their names.  
“God Jae, I’m sorry. I can imagine what colorful things Ten and Doyoung said to each other.” They both exchanged knowing looks, and chuckled a bit. “The farm has me working a lot of extra hours since one of our other pickers quit. I haven’t even had as much time with Ten, either.” The mention of the name ‘Ten’ earns Johnny a knowing smirk from Jaehyun.  
“Ah.. even after I moved away, you still have a thing for Ten, huh?” As confident as Johnny is, that sends a blush onto his cheeks, and a smile spreads across his face.   
“Shut up. I don’t even know. He makes it too easy to like him, and we spend a lot more time together in the summer… Feelings suck dude… especially when they’re for your best friend.”  
A knowing sigh escaped Jaehyun’s lips, as he watched Johnny run a hand through his thick, black hair. He reaches over to pat Johnny on the back sympathetically.  
“You’re preaching to the choir, Suh. I was in the same boat with Doie. Just… stop thinking so much. You’re holding yourself back.”   
Johnny scoffed a bit and wrung his gloves in his hands, “I wish it were that easy. I don’t plan on ruining what we already have because my feelings got in the way.” Jaehyun mumbled something under his breath that Johnny couldn’t quite catch, but it was something along the lines of ‘yeah, like it’s only YOUR feelings…”  
“Anyways, the reason i’m here is because as you already know, it was Taeyong’s birthday a few days ago, and Ten and I being the great friends we are, decided to throw him a party this weekend. Friday night, to be exact. Be there…”  
“Or be square… I thought I told you to let that die like.. Freshman year?” They exchanged a few more words and laughs, before Jaehyun bid him a ‘See you later, Suh.’, and Johnny returned to his work, a bit more energetic after talking to a close friend.

~ 

The evening of the party came quicker than the boys could say Gardenia, and Johnny offered to pick Ten up and take him to the party, because of course he did.  
Ten had always liked things that society told him he shouldn’t. Flowers. Makeup. Dance. Boys. The list goes on. But through his high school years he had learned to accept it. With the help of Johnny as well, he was able to become more confident while wearing what he wants, and expressing himself freely.  
That’s why the boy sat in front of his bathroom mirror, deciding what eye shadow color to use today. Purple seemed good. He heard a soft knock on his bedroom door, and quickly ran over to open it and reveal none other than Johnny Suh.   
“Surprise! Came a little early hehe.” Ten wasn’t startled, per se, just... surprised.   
“Oh… okay. I would say make yourself at home but you are here enough that this is basically your second house so… I’ll be in the bathroom doing my makeup if you need me.” He heard a hum of understanding and a plop on his bed before he went back into the bathroom and began ‘painting the barn’.   
Ten was always told, specifically by Johnny, that he looked like a cat, so he always put extra work into making cat eyes with his eyeliner, to further accentuate his cat-like eyes. After much hard work, he finished his makeup and thought, Damn… I look pretty good. He put it all away, and closed the door to change into the outfit he picked.   
It was fairly simple, but Ten knew what he looked good in. He chose black, high waisted ripped jeans, a deep purple cut off crop top that showed just enough of his stomach, and a black and purple leather jacket. He made sure to pair it with his favorite vans and his trusty choker he wore pretty much everywhere. He finished and walked out of the bathroom and was met by a look of awe of Johnny’s face. He was laying on Ten’s bed, and lifted his head to stare at him. Ten stared back for a second before tilting his head to the side like a puppy.  
“Uh… Johnny… you’re staring. You okay?” Johnny finally realized what he was doing, coughed and replied   
“Huh? Oh.. yeah! I’m great you just. You look amazing, Tennie.” Ten scoffed at this, and attempted to hide his blush by turning to the body mirror by his dresser.   
“You don’t look too bad yourself, John.” And he meant it. Fuck Johnny Suh and his stupid, huge, Dr. Martin’s, and that stupid black jean jacket he wore that always makes him look hotter than usual, and those stupid fucking cutoffs he wears. And god, that sinful, slicked back jet black hair. Fuck Johnny Suh for making his heart drop to his stomach and soak in the acid.  
“Okay. Think I’m ready! Letsa go!” Johnny teased him for quoting Mario, of all things, and they left. But not before bidding Ten’s mom a goodbye. She always loved John, and made sure to embarrass Ten a little more when he was around, because Moms know everything. She gave a little “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” and Ten could only groan and push Johnny along to the front door. 

~ 

Ah, this is why I don’t drink. Thought Ten, after he had his head in the toilet for the past 2 hours. Thankfully, he stayed at Johnny’s house, so there was that. Said boy held a hand to his forehead keeping his haircut-needing hair out of his face, and the other on his back patting it slightly.   
“I told you to stop drinking so quickly, but what do I know!”  
“Shut. Up.” He coughed a bit before thinking of the night before. He remembered getting to the party, seeing Taeyong, getting super excited, then Eminem came on and he drank until he passed out. He may have dragged Johnny onto the dance floor with him during Without Me, but that could’ve been a dream. Everything was kind of a blur. Now, here he sat, on his crush slash best friend’s bathroom floor, with his head in a toilet, violently throwing up all the alcohol he consumed last night. Lovely. Thankfully he didn’t have to work today, so he planned on going home and sleeping off the migraine that was making him ache everywhere.   
“You okay now? Wanna go lay down?” Johnny’s soft voice called from behind him, and he nodded in response.   
“I think i’m okay, might have my mom pick me up or something.” Johnny hummed and pulled him away from the bathroom, turning off the light on the way back to his bedroom. He gathered his stuff as quickly as he could with how nauseous he was, and Johnny offered to take him home.   
“I don’t want to be a bother, I can just call my mom.” Johnny only sighed and grabbed his keys from his messy desk. His desk never seemed to be organized, Ten thought. Or maybe, there's a method to the madness.   
“I won’t take no for an answer. Plus, I want to make sure you get home safe, and I won’t leave until you’re bundled up in your bed.” Ten didn’t have the physical capacity to blush at this point, but if he had the energy, he felt like he would’ve. 

~ 

They reached Ten’s house at 8:45am, and Johnny parked in the driveway to help Ten to his room. They entered the front door, making sure to close it softly. He would’ve tripped up the stairs multiple times if it wasn’t for Johnny, and they tried to keep their snickers quiet as to not wake up Ten’s mom. Finally they reached his bedroom, and Johnny helped tuck Ten into bed. He asked the latter to bring him a sweatshirt, and Johnny found one of his own in the closet, “Is this MY sweatshirt?!” Ten cursed a little and laughed before making grabby hands at it. “Yes it is. You told me I could keep it, remember?” He put it on and pulled the hood up. With how much bigger Johnny was than him, the latter thought it made him look super cute and tiny in it. He finally got all comfortable, and Johnny just sat on the floor next to the bed and played with his hair until he dozed off. Before he could fully fall asleep he told Johnny he should leave and go sleep, but he only replied with a small “Don’t worry about me Tennie, just go to sleep.”. Who was Ten to argue when his childhood and current crush was helping him fall asleep and recover from a hangover? He heard him humming an American lullaby, something called Sunshine? Or You Are My Sunshine? He didn’t really know the lyrics, all he knew was that it really couldn’t get any better than this.   
Ten could’ve sworn he felt a soft kiss on his forehead, but he convinced himself he was dreaming. He fell asleep with a fluttering heart. 

~ Flowers In Your Hair - The Lumineers

Ten felt warmth on his face, and saw the deep red sun shining through his eyelids, and onto his face. Inhale. A familiar sweet scent graced his nose. Exhale. He finally opened his eyes, only to be greeted with a striking sun. He groaned and sat up quickly, the grass softly brushing his hands as he rubbed his eyes quickly. Scanning the surroundings… an open meadow, filled with flowers.  
Tulips, lilies, snapdragons, sunflowers, lavender, the list was endless. He stood up to approach the field, making sure to feel every flower he could possibly feel. The feeling of the soft, unique petals of flowers was always a comfort to the boy. The flowers seemingly went on forever, and as he looked further down the hill of the field. No. That couldn’t be…?   
A mess of jet black hair sat in a few rows of young sunflowers. Johnny Suh sat in a few rows of young sunflowers. Ten practically tripped over his own feet to reach him. Not caring much of the tulips he was crushing underneath his feet, he quickly reached the boy at the bottom of the hill.   
“Johnny… what are you…?”   
Johnny only turned and smiled, patting the patch of grass next to him. He reached over next to him, and returned back with a small, haphazardly made, dandelion flower crown. The dumb smile on his face made Ten’s heart swell in unimaginable ways. That smile was something that was plastered in Ten's head at the most inconvenient of times. During tests, work, weddings, you name it.   
He happily accepted, putting it on top of his hair. Before he could react, the older boy was putting little daisies and morning glories in his hair. Behind his ear, on top of his head, in the flower crown, everywhere. He only stared adoringly at his work, and placed a warm hand on Ten’s cheek. This couldn’t be real, thought Ten, as the two boys faces inched dangerously close to each other. As soon as he blinked, Johnny’s lips were on his. 

The small boy jerked up in his bed, panting slightly, a light pink dusting his cheeks as he felt all over his face in a panic. He gathered his surroundings, he was in his room, his bed. He glanced at the bedside, no Johnny. He must've left. The clock read 11:51am. He could only sigh in disappointment, and flop back on his bed, covering his face with his hands.   
“Stupid fucking Ten! God…” He pulled the pillow from underneath his head to plop it on his face and scream a little into it.   
“Why do you do this to yourself?! But also WHY won’t John leave me alone? In my dreams, really?!”   
Johnny Suh really would be the death of Ten Chittaphon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting inch arresting :P ! LMK what you think on twitter: @emoforjohnny :D


	4. Make You Mine - PUBLIC

July came to a close quicker than the summer breeze, with August not too far behind, approaching with much anticipation.   
The second week of August marked the annual county fair, and boy was it a big one. People from all over would travel to be at this fair, and for good reason too. There were huge roller coasters, endless food stands, and thousands of adorable animals. But above all, there was a gigantic ferris wheel, and all the couples in town fought to get a spot on it, before the line became too long.  
Johnny has always dreamed of going to the fair with someone, doing cute couple shit all over the fair, pet the animals, eat food together, and finally, kiss on top of the ferris wheel. Of course, before he dreamed of a girl, then he hit middle school and realized he was most definitely very bisexual. He didn’t like to label himself, but this was the term that most fit his preferences.   
Now, he thought, he wanted that with Ten. That’s why, a week before the fair, on a rainy Friday, he called his best friend.   
Ring… Ring… Ring… Ri-  
“Hello?” Johnny took a sigh of relief.  
“Tennie! Hi! Whatcha doin’?”   
“Uhh.. I’m currently at work, I only answered because it’s you, and I wanted to make sure you weren’t dying or something. What about you?” He smiled at this and replied with much enthusiasm,  
“Ah, I know I can always count on my best friend to keep me from the impending doom that is death.” A snort on the other line.   
“God. You’re real fucking cheerful today. Is that the real reason you called me or are you just bored?” Johnny gasps and clicks his tongue softly.  
“No it’s not, thank you very much. I didn’t have work today because I can’t work in the fields when it’s raining. I called because i want to go to the county fair next week.” A pause.   
“Okay… And you’re calling me because of this… why…?”   
“Ten. I want you to go with me. Come on. It’ll be so fun!” Another pause.   
“I mean… I was going to call you and see if you wanted to go with me too, actually… But you know I don’t like roller coasters, so if you even suggest that we go on one, your ass is dead, Suh.” And again, another gasp from Johnny.   
“You have zero faith in me! Fine… anyways, it’s a date!” Johnny swears he hears something drop on the other end of the call, but he doesn’t really know. Silence.   
“...O-okay! It’s a date. Yeah.” He sounds… nervous? He brushes it off and continues.  
“Ah hah! I knew I could count on my best friend!” Silence fills the call again. And Ten replies with an ever so slightly heavy voice.   
“Mhm. Well, I have to go back to work, Kun is yelling at me. Bye John.” Click.   
Johnny could hear the weight in his best friend’s voice, but he didn’t have time to react before he ended the call. He only sighed and dropped his phone in his lap, before running a hand through his hair.   
‘God Johnny you’re real stupid, you know that? Did you REALLY have to say it was a date?’ He thought to himself in his head. He blamed himself for Ten sounding awkward on the phone. He always tried to keep his feelings at bay, as to not ruin what amazing thing they had, but it slips out from time to time. He felt like his heart was swinging on a pendulum, swinging back and forth from wanting friendship, and something more. It was exhausting. He was so utterly love sick it wasn’t even funny anymore.

On the other hand, Ten ended the call with a weight being pressed into his chest. Like Mjolnir had just been set on his chest. ‘God I should really stop watching so many Marvel movies.’ he thought.   
Kun snaps him out of his thoughts.  
“Ten? Hey… you look… upset? Are you okay?” Kun had always been a caring and wise boss, never failing to ask Ten about his day, makes sure he was well taken care of at home, and that a certain boy wasn’t breaking his heart. That’s sure what it felt like.  
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” He turned his attention to the flower pot he accidentally dropped on the floor when the words ‘you’ and ‘date’ came out of Johnny Suh’s mouth. He knelt down next to it and began brushing up the dirt into a little pile.  
“I know you, Ten… as much as you hate to admit it. Is it Him again?” Ten snapped his head around and shushed him with a finger to his lips.  
“WE don’t talk about ‘Him’.” Kun scoffs and turns away to return to the desk, but not before shooting a “Maybe you should actually talk to him about it.” And doesn’t even have to look to feel the look of pure anger on Ten’s face. Yeah, Kun knew Ten a little more than Ten would like to admit. 

~ 

The morning after, on a damp Saturday, Johnny invited Ten to breakfast with him, Taeyong, and his boyfriend, Yuta. They all knew each other, but Ten had only known Yuta for a short time. They had met officially once before Taeyong’s Birthday, and had hung out maybe once after that. Ten agreed with a fake smile, and told him he’s meet them there in 20. He hastily on a sweatshirt, some jeans, and his trusty Vans, bid his mom a goodbye, and ran to the bus stop.

~

“So you’re telling me they’re NOT dating?” Yuta says under his breath to Taeyong, something only they can hear.  
“Shut up, Yu.” He plasters on his best fake smile and covers it up with a nervous laugh, before asking Ten how his job is going. Through a mouthful of dark chocolate pancakes, he replies:  
“I love it. It’s right up my alley and I really enjoy learning more about flowers.” A pause to swallow. “But yeah. I kind of wish it was a year long thing, but then again, going into my senior year, that doesn’t seem ideal.” Taeyong and Yuta hum in agreement, before Johnny interjects and asks, “Yo, are you two going to the fair next week? Ten and I are going together!” Ten practically chokes on his orange juice, which sparks a reaction out of Johnny.   
“Oh my god, Tennie are you okay?” Ten only holds a hand up, croaks out a ‘Im- Okay!”, pushes Johnny’s hands off of him, and coughs out the rest. Yuta stifles a laugh and his loving boyfriend knees him under the table.  
“Actually, yeah, we were thinking about it.” Taeyong glances over lovingly to his boyfriend, who adds: “Taeyong really likes the baby animals, and seeings how i'm completely and utterly gone for him, I promised to take him.” Ten remains silent for a second, mood clearly ruined by the conversation, and sips on his orange juice again.   
“Well, we hope to see you there, it can be like a best friends double date.” They all stop and stare at Johnny for a second, who seems to be oblivious to the situation at hand. Ten nervously laughs and stands before excusing himself to the bathroom. Taeyong notices the tears welling up in his eyes, but only sighs and runs a hand through his cherry red hair. He had been close to Ten for a long time, not as close as Johnny of course, but he knew him. He had sensitive emotions, and easily overthought things. Taeyong witnessed the tail end of a couple points where he would just spiral out of control, and Johnny was the only one that he would listen to. Johnny was normally so sensitive to Ten’s feelings, when did that change?  
Yuta and Johnny chat for a little while longer, and Ten returns from the bathroom with slightly red eyes. Before his best friend can even ask about it, he’s grabbing his wallet, and dropping a 10 dollar bill on the table.  
“That should cover my shit. Sorry guys, my mom… called me home. Plus I need to water my plants, see you all later. Thanks for inviting me, this was fun.” He ruffles Taeyongs hair and bids the other two a quick wave before leaving in a whirlwind. Taeyong can only sigh, Yuta quickly noticing the anxiety in his boyfriend and giving his hand a squeeze. They give each other a knowing look of, ‘Johnny Suh is an idiot.’

~ 

After breakfast, Johnny doesn’t really have anything in particular to do, so he walks through the wet streets of downtown Chicago, thinking hard about the events of this morning.   
He thought Ten was really excited about the fair, so why was he upset? What if Ten found out he has a big fat crush on his best friend, and that’s why he’s acting weird? Maybe he really was ruining their friendship. But was friendship really what he wanted? No. He wanted Ten, in his arms, all the time. He wanted him by his side, supporting him as he always did. But he wanted Ten. He wanted him and only him. He wanted the closeness, the midnight cuddles, the soft touches, the kisses under the stars, the holding of hands in the streets, he wanted it all.   
He practically stopped dead in his tracks on the sidewalk, earning a couple groans from walking pedestrians behind him. Johnny is always one to live in the moment, and be impulsive. He tried to stay positive, happy, and reliable. Especially when his friends needed him. Especially when Ten needed him. He quickly pulls out his phone, and dials a number he knows all too well. God he was scared, but it was now or never, and he had an idea.


	5. Seventeen - Troye Sivan

In a roundabout way, the two seventeen year olds agreed on Wednesday for their little fair excursion. And by agreed, I mean Johnny called Ten, who sounded exhausted and only gave a few word answers, and they agreed to meet at their favorite coffee shop on Wednesday afternoon. Ten questioned, ‘Why the coffee shop?’, and Johnny only answered that he needed to satisfy his caffeine addiction before attempting to chase Ten around the fair the whole day. Ten only scoffed and said something regarding that he was going to be the one chasing the human puppy around, not the other way around.  
Fortunately neither of them had to work on Thursday morning, so they could stay out as late as they wanted. Johnny could hardly handle his excitement during the days leading up to that Wednesday. He hardly slept the night before, only staring at the glow in the dark stars on his dark ceiling, thinking about the summer, the day to come, and Ten. He occupied his thoughts more often than not, especially at times like this.

It wasn’t much different where Ten was. Curled up in his favorite blanket, his fan blowing lightly through his hair. He sighed, rolling over for the umpteenth time that night. The clock read 1:21am. A yawn escaped his lips as he pulled the blanket over his head, attempting to rid his brain of the endless thoughts of a certain tall, black haired, Chicago-born 17 year old. The one who wore his mom’s jackets, listened to Led Zeppelin every time he drove anywhere, bit his bottom lip when he focused really hard on something, owned way too many pairs of Dr. Martin’s, melted when he saw puppies, cried during musicals, loved babies, and the millions of other deep things he knew about his best friend.   
Tears brimmed his eyes for the hundredth time that day, and he let out a deep groan as he rubbed roughly at his dark eyes. As much as he wanted to be totally upset at Johnny, he couldn’t. He couldn’t bring himself to be mad, because he wasn’t doing anything himself to change it.   
“Fuck.”  
He was in deep for Johnny Suh.

~

Ten groggily opened his eyes, the blaring sound of his alarm pulling him from a dreamless sleep. He sat up on his elbows, turned off his alarm, and read the time, 7:30am. Wait, 7:30? Shit… he forgot to turn off his work alarm. As if the past 7 days couldn’t get any worse, he loses precious beauty sleep over his forgetfulness. And to add to all this, he didn’t fall asleep until around 4am. He was a growing 17 year old, he needed a solid 10 hours of sleep a night to properly hold a conversation.This week really had it in for Ten, and he wasn’t appreciating it. He runs a small hand through his hair, sighs, and flops face first on his bed, and falls back asleep. 

13:24.  
Johnny checks his phone for probably the 12th time this minute. No notifications, still the same minute it was the last time he checked the time. Ten was supposed to be here at 1pm sharp. 24, now 25 minutes later and it’s safe to say he’s panicking a little bit. Firstly, for himself, and that he got stood up, and secondly for Ten, and that he was okay. He texted the latter to make sure he remembered, and got nothing in reply. He knew he remembered last night, as he texted him and got a smiley face in response.   
A sigh escaped his lips as he seriously began to think Ten didn’t want to see him at all today.

“Ten… Ten!” His mom’s voice ripped him from a deep sleep. He jerks up quickly and confused.  
“What?! What happened?” He rubs his eyes and asks through a sleep laced voice.  
“Didn’t you tell me last night you were supposed to meet Johnny today?” Ten hums in agreement softly, still confused.  
“...And didn’t you tell me you were meeting him at 1?” After a pause,Ten widens his eyes, and scrambles for his phone. 1:23. Forgetting the presence of his mother, he lets out a soft,  
“Shit.” He rips the blankets off his body, and leaps for the bathroom.  
“Chittaphon! I told you to stop swearing!” He yells an apology as he puts as much makeup on as he has time for, throws on something even remotely cute, and grabs his stuff. Thanking his mother and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, and he bids her a whirlwind of a goodbye. He’s out the door in less than 10 minutes from when he woke up, and begins running towards the coffee shop just 4 blocks away.

~ 13:35

‘Okay he officially hates my guts.’ Johnny thinks, as he sits in the corner booth, the barista he remembers to be one Jaemin shooting him sympathetic glances. He checks the time once more, and lays his head down on the table. He sighs and turns to the group of flowers on the chair next to him, and groans.   
He hears someone loudly run into the front door, and he jerks his head up. None other than Ten Chittaphon stands on the other side with an uncomfortable and embarrassed look on his face, and slowly walks through the door. He laughs awkwardly before making eye contact with Johnny, who is holding in his laughter. He breathlessly plops down on the seat across from Johnny, and just now begins to see how cute he looks. His hair is slightly curly today, he has soft pink eye shadow on, a floral shirt with a few of the top buttons open and a little choker around his neck. Johnny swears he feels something flutter in the pit of his stomach. This is when Ten then begins to spew out apology after apology.  
“I’m so so sorry, John.” He sighed deeply, “I slept like absolute shit last night, and then my work alarm went off at 7am, so I turned it off and fell back asleep so then I overslept, and my mom woke me up and-” Johnny can only laugh and interrupt him.  
“Tennie, god, take a breath. It’s okay, don’t apologize. You’re here now, that’s all that matters.” How he had time to curl his hair and do his makeup, he didn’t really know. Ten made anything look attractive. Johnny remembers the thing he called him here to do, and his heart begins to race. His hand reaches for the bundle of flowers sitting next to him, but he hesitates, and asks Ten what he wants to order. The Thai boy ordered something chocolatey, as expected of him, and Johnny ordered an iced black coffee.   
Ten snorted as their drinks came, looking at the dynamics of their relationship. They chatted for a bit, Ten’s mood greatly increasing by the second.   
Johnny was now internally panicking, whether he showed it on the outside or not. His hands were indeed sweating, and his heart felt like it had dropped to his ass. He took a breath as Ten was discussing something about the barista and the crush he had on another barista, and he turned to Johnny once more.   
Johnny finally picked up the flowers, begins chewing on his bottom lip, and holds out the flowers closely to Ten’s face. Only his eyes were visible, they increasingly got wider and moved from the flowers to the boy in front of him. Not only were they flowers, but tulips.  
The words caught in Ten’s throat, as his heartbeat increased wildly. Johnny nervously smiled at him, unable to keep eye contact with the latter for more than two seconds.   
“John I-”  
“Ten I-I know what Tulips mean.” Ten let out the quietest gasp ever, and looked as if his heart had just exploded. This could not be happening.  
“...What?” Johnny swallowed and smiled again. He had to do this.  
“I know what Tulips symbolize. Fame. Perfect love. But I was kind of going for love confessions.”  
A look of disbelief crosses Ten’s face, as he sets the flowers on the table, almost knocking over his drink in the process.   
“John, If this is a joke, it’s not fucking funny.” Johnny felt his heart clench in his chest, and heard his heartbeat in his ears. His stomach churned. He thought he was joking?  
“No. Of course it’s not a joke. I…” He runs a hand through his hair and sighs as he leans forward to rest his elbows on the table. “Ten, I love you.” Said boy chews on his lips in an attempt to hide his smile, and stares at his best friend in disbelief.  
“I don’t even, know what to say honestly. I thought of what to say, but it kind of went out the window the second you walked in.” Ten finally breaks into the widest grin he’d ever seen, and covers his blushed face with a hand. His heart feels like it's doing a little happy dance against his chest. His fingertips tingle with shock and excitement.  
“John. oh my god shut up.” Johnny’s face drops for a second, before Ten drops his hands to the table and leans into his space.  
“I cannot believe this is happening… it took you long enough. I kind of thought I was obvious.” He breaks into soft laughter and Johnny is shocked, before he breathlessly laughs along.   
“You literally are such an ass. You have no idea how much sleep I've lost over your dumb ass... how did you even figure out what tulips meant? Oh my god... did you know the meaning of all the flowers i got you?" Johnny laughs and it reveals his eye smile.  
“Okay, one question at a time. Yeah, I know, I've been a dick lately.” Ten stifles a laugh as the latter continues: “Don’t even make a joke about it… anyways, yes I knew the meaning of some of the flowers, not all of them though. And I called Kun on a whim when you weren't working. We talked for like, an hour and I told him my plan. I thought he was going to jump through the phone in excitement." Ten fondly smiles thinking of this interaction, and makes a note to bring Johnny inside to this work once or twice.   
"This really wasn’t the way I wanted this to go. I mean, it is, but I thought it’d be more… romantic.” Johnny says as he sighs and rubs the nape of his neck. Ten only smirks and leans forward again, this time inching dangerously close to Johnny’s face. The older almost backs away, until Ten speaks again.  
“It’s absolutely perfect. I like you more than I could ever say.” He softly kisses Johnny, a hand pulling on his shirt, the other holding himself steady on the table. Kissing Johnny is something he had imagined a little TOO often, but it was nothing like he thought. He really didn’t expect fireworks or magical things happening, he was too much of a pessimist for that, but it made his heart do funny little things. His lips are even softer than they look, if that was even possible. It’s an innocent kiss, filled with fluttering hearts and soft gasps in between. They were testing the waters, as if they were learning each other again. They knew each other better than anyone else, but not in this intimate way.   
It lasts for a few seconds, before they pull back and realize they were in their own little world. Their hearts beating a little faster, their breath huffing out a little more rapidly.   
Jaemin stifles his laughter and winks at them before returning to his work, but they realize he was the only one that actually cared. Everyone else in the shop paid them absolutely no mind.  
They stare at each other for a few seconds before Ten is grabbing his things and dragging Johnny through the front door.

~

Johnny didn’t think Ten could get any cuter than when he walked into the coffee shop… Clearly he was wrong, because as he aimed the ball in his hand at the bottles in the fair game, he thought he looked the cutest he ever had. Every time he knocked one or two over, that kitten smile would cover his face, whiskers and all, and he’d jump up and down in excitement. Johnny’s heart swelled in his chest so hard, he felt like he could suffocate.  
Being the competitive person he was, Ten was bound and fucking determined to win Johnny a prize. More specifically, the giant bear plushie that heavily reminded Ten of the older boy. That’s why, when paired with immense focus and killer aim, he managed to knock down all the bottles on his last go.   
“Fuck yeah!” Johnny giggles deeply and claps his hands as Ten jumps up and down and points for the bear that was roughly as big as he was. With much enthusiasm and pride on his face, he hands it to Johnny who fondly thanks the latter and offers him a hand to hold. 

After sharing a lemonade together, double straws and all just like the love sick teenagers they were, they walk through the crowds once more, one side of Johnny housing a gigantic brown bear, the other housing a little Thai teenager clinging to his arm. They walk along as Ten glances up at Johnny, taking in the way the newfound sunset laces his features with a soft orange glow. The light hits the high points of his features, the slope of his nose, the high cheekbones, and casts shadows on the lower parts, making his jawline and eyes look extra sharp and dangerous. Ten could get used to this.   
“Tennie. Now you’re staring.” he smirks and makes eye contact with the boy on his arm, and he only responds with a small hum, followed by “You’re so beautiful.” It catches Johnny off guard, and a light blush is visible rapidly growing on his cheeks.   
“You’re blushing.” Ten points out and pokes the latter's dimple.   
“Come on! I’m supposed to be the flirty one!” He pouts and Ten doesn’t know how to respond, so he reaches on his tip toes, pulls Johnny down by his shirt to meet their height difference, and connects their lips. The taller reacts quickly, placing his hand on the back of the other boy’s neck, pulling him close before they disconnect. It’s quick and soft, but meaningful nonetheless.   
Johnny turns his attention forward again as the boy on his arm giggles softly.   
“Ten! Tennie oh my gosh look!” Johnny practically jumps up and down, tugging at the latter’s shirt sleeve. The younger boy turns his attention to Johnny’s focus, and has to crank his neck to take in the height of the huge ferris wheel seated directly in front of them. Ten’s face clearly drops, and Johnny notices as he turns to him.  
“Oh hell no. John there’s no way i’m getting on that shit.” Listen, Ten wasn’t afraid of anything. Spiders, water, the dark, none of that he batted an eye at. But heights? That’s where he drew the line.  
The older only pouts, putting on his best puppy dog eyes.   
“Listen even if you’re my unofficial boyfriend now, you’re still my best friend. No. Way.” He says while crossing his arms defensively.  
“Come on… just once, for me? Tennie… it’ll be fun.” Ten remains silent, trying hard not to show any sign of weakness.   
“Tennie~” He barely cracks a smile as Johnny hangs on him and whines like a little kid.  
“God this isn’t fair! You’re so Tenphobic… FINE. Fine, brat.” Johnny cheers and immediately grabs Ten’s hand to pull him running towards the line that was rapidly increasing. He felt a wave of familiarity in this situation, and remembered their last day of school.

After waiting roughly 10 minutes (8 according to Johnny) in line, the ride carnie called them both up, minus the huge bear he left at the edge of the stairs. Ten’s hands were softly shaking a bit and the other noticed, so as they were getting on he carefully intertwined their fingers, and gave a reassuring smile. They got on, no complications… and were locked in by the carnie. Johnny stared at Ten as if he held every single star in the galaxy in his dark eyes, which ten appreciated, but he was too busy freaking out to really acknowledge.  
“Tennie… You’re going to be okay, I promise. The view up there is breathtaking.” He smirks before continuing, “But I believe the best view of all is right next to me.” As the younger was clung to the olders arm, he snorted and hit him lightly. The wheel began to move forward and Ten jerked slightly, which sparkled a giggle out of the other boy. It went faster than Ten initially thought it would, so he clung closer to Johnny, who simply held a strong arm around his slightly shaking shoulders. He held his other hand on Ten’s thigh, occasionally giving a pat to ease his anxieties.   
The ride picked up speed and went around one time. ‘Okay... This isn’t so bad… maybe I can do this.’ Ten thinks in his head, as he lifts his head that was buried in Johnny’s shoulder.   
“See? Not so bad.” Ten glares at him a little but nods nonetheless.   
“Look, we’re going back to the top!” The older boy points forward where the ride was approaching its peak. Just as they reach the peak, the ride slows to a stop and leaves them swinging at the top of the ferris wheel that hung roughly 200 feet in the air. The Thai boy gasped and began to panic again, which jostles the cart slightly, but thankfully Johnny’s soothing voice called out to him.   
“Tennie? Look at me, it’s okay.: It was so easy to get lost in his voice when he sounded like that. "They just stopped here to let someone off at the bottom. Hey. Look up.” Johnny’s finger tugs at the latter's chin, pulling his head up to see the view around them.   
It was unlike anything Ten had ever seen. Seemingly millions of lights from cars, skyscrapers, houses, you name it. The sunset was just beginning to fade, the final bright orange glow losing its luster the longer the minutes passed. Ten let out a soft breath as he peered along the horizon, where he saw the distant shore of Lake Michigan. He felt eyes on him and thus returned his gaze to the boy next to him.   
His caramel eyes were so warm, warmer than the August sun, warmer than a soft blanket during the wintertime, so warm. Ten finally understood the meaning of someone holding stars in their eyes, as cliche as it was. His eyes held millions of stars in them, seemingly every star in his galaxy. Ten smiled widely and lunged forward, grabbing Johnny’s face and bringing them mere centimeters from each other.   
“John I… You are my everything. Nothing else matters when you’re here. God this is so cheesy…” The older is stunned, his face lighting up more with each word that pours from Ten’s lips.   
“John Suh. No flower could even begin to match your beauty.” He drops his head to stifle a laugh, before returning to Johnny’s eye contact, who is seemingly about to burst with love.  
“I love you so much. So so much.” Ten finally finishes, and they can barely contain themselves as their lips meet, filled with passion, love, and warmth. Their lips moved in perfect harmony, Ten couldn’t help but smile into the kiss. Johnny parts their lips only once to reassure the other once more. "I love you so much more." They resume their kisses and only stop when the carnie yells at them to get off. Their hearts were floating in the air, just as they were, overlooking the whole city.   
Yes, they may have only been young, dumb seventeen year olds, when they fell in love… many would remind them it was simple infatuation. But their hearts sure as hell knew what was real. 

The END.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end. I really hope you enjoyed and that i didn't leave you feeling too sad! This fic was heavily possible thanks to my best friend, Savannah. She encouraged my ideas and thoughts, and was a big help in easing my worries about it. She called me every time i dropped a chapter so she could whine in my ear about how cute it is but also how much she hated me for writing something so soft. So thank you Savannah.   
> I miss you Johnten, come back!! Thank you again for reading and follow me on twitter @emoforjohnny <3

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know your thoughts on my tellonym! I will try to upload as quickly as possible <3 tellonym.me/gracieuwu


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